Monday, March 28, 2005

I had a call from a customer complaining of black smudges on her clothes, she thinks from her washer. She also reported that her dryer needed service because it made an awful noise.

Now, whenever I get a call about black smudges on clothes, I know it's usually one of two things:

1) A chemical reaction between some detergents and fabric softeners can create black spots on clothes in the washing machine. You can tell if this is the case by seeing if the black spots will come off using soap and water. (Uncommon: if the spots will only come off using petroleum distillates, then this is oil from the washing machine's transmission.)

2) Rubber and/or metal filings from a wallowed out drum roller in the dryer getting on the clothes. In this case, you'll see amorphous smudges instead of well-defined, circular spots.

Turns out that, on this service call, the source of the staining was definitely the dryer. When I started up the dryer, it emitted a loud rumbling. I shut it off immediately and disassembled the dryer. After removing the drum, I saw the source of the black smudges right away. You can see it below (click it for a larger view):

Wallowed-Out Drum Roller on a Whirlpool-Built Dryer

As you can see, the drum roller is nuked. Amazingly, the roller shaft was still serviceable. If you looked at the larger view, you may have noticed all the metal shavings on top of the motor and piled in the back corner. With the drum roller so wallowed out, the rear drum seal was sloppy and would let metal filings into the drum while the dryer was running. These metal filings get on the clothes and leave black smudges. I replaced both drum rollers, the belt, and the idler pulley. Since this was a Whirlpool-built dryer, these parts all come in a convenient rebuild kit.

20 Comments:

I recently bought a used GE heavy duty dryer. We immediately noticed black marks on all our clothing. They look like they have been pulled into the wholes and burned. They will not go away no matter how many times you wash them and with what. The top of the dryer also gets rather hot during use. Any clues as to what the problem may be??

You left one other reason for black smudges off your list. Teenage boys who leave black ink pens in the pockets of their cargo pants (have you ever known an overworked mom who can properly look through those pockets? And what about the wads of tissues the family leaves in there?) Please suggest a suitable punishment.

I have the same problem with black smudges with my Maytag Model GDE412 dryer and the rumbling like tennis shoes in the dryer. The recommended repairs sound complicated. Are they all necessary? Should these be left to a professional? If so, how much would it typically cost?

I have very average technical skills - can change oil in car and change alternator.

You said "Uncommon: if the spots will only come off using petroleum distillates, then this is oil from the washing machine's transmission." We definitely get oil or grease spots periodically on our clothes. I cannot figure out if it is the washer or the dryer b/c it happens infrequently. But the stains will not come out with detergents or bleach. I have not tried removing with a petroleum distillate yet. Should I assume this is from the washer transmission? The washer is less than a year old and this started about 6 months ago. The dryer is probably 5 years old but was not used for 3 of those 5 years.

I have not tried removing with a petroleum distillate yet. Should I assume this is from the washer transmission?

Ah, another grasshopper attempting to do appliance repair by assumptions. You would benefit from listening to this episode of our podcast wherein we discussed the first four of my 12 laws of appliance repair. Can you snatch this pebble from my hand, grasshopper?

Our black marks are only appearing on the points of the collars of my husbands dress shirts. I have theorized that they fit through the holes in the drum, or are getting between the drum and the wall. Is disassembly still the best diagnostic, or does this sound like a specific dryer ailment?

Interesting hypothesis and one which can be tested very easily by washing a shirt in a mesh garment bag. If the staining does not appear, then your hypothesis warrants further investigation. Otherwise, change your detergent and fabric softener combination.

I very sure it has nothing to do with a completely worn out drum roller; the dryeris less than 4 years old. Instead it involves the felt and nylon glide at the frontof the dry. I've actually pulled an article of clothing that was caught in the areawhere this felt seal is found.

The dryer I'm dealing with is a Frigidaire Gallery Heavy Duty (Model#FEC447GHS0)(WhiteConsolidated Industies - Made in the USA). Here is one dryer I would avoid like the plague.At least ask the salespeson if they fixed this design flaw. There is no way the feltseal/glider should wear-out in less than 4 years.

Based on the following information it looks like I'll have to replace the nylon gliderand felt business. Given this, my question to the Samurai is for the type of dryer(controls on front - flat top) do I start by popping the clips that are possibly locatedunder the top-front by using a putty knife?

RollersRear sealFront glidesFront sealRollersYour dryer may use rollers, or wheels, to support the rear of the clothes drum. When these areworn out, they may cause the clothes drum to drop down slightly, which can pinch the clothesbetween the top of the clothes drum and the rear of the dryer interior. When the rollers wearout, you need to replace the whole set.

Rear sealYour dryer may have a felt-like seal at the rear of the drum. If this seal is worn, torn, ormissing, clothes can get caught and torn in the space between the clothes drum and the rearof the dryer interior. When the rear seal wears out, you need to replace it.

Front glidesYour dryer probably uses nylon or plastic glides at the front of the clothes drum for support.When these are worn out, they may cause the clothes drum to drop down slightly, which can pinchthe clothes between the top of the clothes drum and the front of the dryer interior. When theglides wear out, you need to replace them as a set.

Front sealMany dryers have a felt-like seal at the front of the drum. If this seal is worn, torn, ormissing, the clothes in the dryer may get caught and torn in the space between the clothesdrum and the front of the dryer interior. When the seal wears out, you need to replace it.

I have the same problem as David in Ottawa except with a GE Profile dryer (bought in 1999). I also went to Repair Clinic's website (I fixed my leaking washer because of their site) and found the same info. I am interested in your opinion on our problem before I purchase the front glides (repair clinic's diagnosis) and try to take apart my dryer. Thanks...DanCleveland, OH

Hey Dan in Cleveland, David from Ottawa here. Replacing the usual wore suspects on a dryer is relatively easy (and cheap). I replaced the felt and drum support roller on a previous dryer in a couple hours. The samurai web site has all the destructions, see http://fixitnow.com/2005/03/field-notes-frigidaire-dryer-front.htm.

I started out with the idea that I was just replacing a broken drum belt and an idler pulley which had a melt down (literally). I followed the ever-so-helpful information on your website and impressed my hubby with my appliance repair prowess. Turns out, I'm not as prowy as I thought. Once I replaced the belt, the rear drum seal, and the idler pulley, and put it all together...I was getting a harsh metal-on-metal sound from the back of the drum. I read the note about the black marks on the clothing (which I don't have) and saw the part about the metal shavings. Lightbulb!! I did vacuum up a bunch of shavings when I did the initial repair. So, now I'm off to replace the drum rollers. My question is this: is there anything else I should be looking for?

Good work, Grasshopper Shari. Your perseverance will see you through to appliance satori. In addition to assessing the condition of the drum rollers, be sure the drum rear felt seal is not wrinkled or has gaps as this can create a dreaded metal on metal sound, too.

My clothes were getting black spots on them in the washer. The spots matched the holes in the drum. I had to lift the whole top of the washer and clean around the rubber gasket and the under side of the top of the washer. That cured the problem!

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